Page 48 - Green Builder July-August 2019 Issue
P. 48
Priced right. Among the first of 20 affordable single-family residences is this house model in Orlando’s Parramore community, which comes complete
with sustainable products, such as energy-efficient appliances, low-flow water fixtures and hookup for solar arrays.
dehumidifying, fan, heat and cooling.
Indoor efficiency. In terms of the building enclosure, the project is a slab-on-grade
The Parramore homes concrete block structure with block construction for the interior wall
include energy- partitions. Utilizing core injection methodology, insulation is injected
efficient windows, into the concrete block voids to achieve those above-code R-19/R-30
appliances and LED insulation levels. For the attic spaces, blow insulation was utilized
light fixtures.
to boost performance and exceed the code.
The upshot is “improved indoor comfort of the units, more of a
sound barrier between units, and better climate control to maximize
energy eciency,” reports Castro.
Addressing water eciency, the low-ow xtures and faucets’
reduction of water consumption is yielding as much as 50 percent
savings on water bills.
As for the PV system, three rooftop panels are working to produce
close to 100,000 kWh per year, which means up to a 40 percent reduc-
tion and a $20 saving in monthly energy bills.
THE BIG PICTURE
Also serving as an example of urban renewal, this particular site
was formerly abandoned, derelict and surrounded by barbed wire
on a well-traveled street corner, essentially projecting an image of
despair and isolation. Now, by turning the site into a new, sustainable
housing complex, the community has received a boost of morale.
“We hope this project sets a precedent for the type of aordable
and sustainable housing standards that other develops build to,”
adds Castro.
Granted, New Horizons is not the only aordable housing initia-
tive in town.
In the lower-income Parramore neighborhood just west of down-
town, the City is building 20 new single-family residential homes.
Available at below-market rates, the homes are incorporating sustain-
able features, such as locally sourced building materials, sustainable
46 GREEN BUILDER July/August 2019 www.greenbuildermedia.com
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